<img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn4.iconfinder.com%2Fdata%2Ficons%2Fweb-design-and-development-2-11%2F66%2F80-512.png&f=1&nofb=1" alt="mosaic" title="Mosaic" width="200" height="200" />
# Block List
A minimalist hosts-based tool for managing block lists and ad-blocking.
This project uses the excellent and regularly updated [Unified Hosts](https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts) lists from Steven Black.
### Why should you use Block List?
- It is an extensible, small and simple tool; consisting of only fifty-five lines of code!
- It will block this traffic across all programs running on the system.
- It is written in Rust and hence can be depended upon to be fast and stable.
- It is designed to be easily incorporated into shell scripts to automate or customize its behaviour to your liking.
- A hosts-based block list such as this uses minimal system resources to block unwanted traffic in comparison to a browser extension.
### Installation
Using Cargo (Rust)
```shell
cargo install block-list
```
More options will come in future!
### Usage
Just use 'hosts' as the desired list if you only want ad-blocking.
```shell
sudo block-list /path/to/hosts your-desired-list
```
### Examples
**Basic usage:**
```shell
sudo block-list /etc/hosts social
```
<br>
**Pipe in a custom list:**
```shell
**OR**
```shell
<br>
**Automatically update Block List at 10pm:**
Open the root user's crontab file
```shell
sudo crontab -e
```
Then add the following line
```txt
0 22 * * * block-list /etc/hosts hosts
```
<br>
**Use Block List to re-route a url to a different address:**
Find the address using dig
```shell
dig duckduckgo.com
```
Coppy the IP address listed in 'Answer Section' to a file
```txt
# A custom Block List
# Re-route all requests from Google to DuckDuckGo
52.142.124.215 www.google.com
52.142.124.215 google.com
```
Pipe in the custom list to Block List
```shell
### Output
If successful, this command will append a new list or replace the current list at the tail of the supplied hosts file, eg:
```shell
Block List updated! 🔒
```
```txt
##
# Host Database
##
127.0.0.1 localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1 localhost
# Your list of addresses
1.2.3.4 somehost
...
# Block List
0.0.0.0 some.custom.address.net
0.0.0.0 another.custom.address.xyz
0.0.0.0 some.malware.address.com
0.0.0.0 another.blocked.address.xxx
```